Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1887-09-24

From the North American Review.
You feel strong in the strength OF q
robust manhood. well poised in body
and mind, and in the center of hap
by home, where loving hearts cling to
you like vines around the oak. But
many to whom you speak are quite
otherwise. You address thousands
OF young men who have come out OF
country homes, where they have been
brought up in the fear of God, and
have heard the morning and evening
PRAYER. They come ilto a city foil of
temptations, but are restrained from
evil by the thought OF father and
| mother, and reverence for Him who is
the Father of us ala feeling which,
| though it may not have taken the
form of any profession, is yet at the
bottom of their hearts, and keeps
| them from many a wrong and
hayward step. A young man who
is thus guarded and defended"
as by unseen angels, some evening
when he feels very lonely, is invited to
neo and hear Ingersoll." and for g.
| couple of hours listens to your carica-
lures OF religion, with description OF
the prayers and psalm singing, illus
trated dy devout grimaces and nasal
tones, which set the house in roars OF
laughter, and are received with tumnl-
tuous applause. When it is all over,
and the young man finds himself again
under the haring lamps OF the city
streets, he is conscious OF change; the
faith OF his childhood has been rudely
torn from him, and With it a glory
has passed away from the earth;" the
Bible which his mother gave him the
morning that he came away is "a
mass OF fables" the sentence which
she wished him TO hang on the wall,
saThou God. seest me-" has lost its
power: for there is no God that sees
him, no more government, no law and
no retribution. So he reasons as he
walks slowly homeward, meeting the
temptations which haunt these streets
at Characterization from which he
has hitherto turned with shudder,
but which he now meets with dimin-
ished power of resistance. Have you
done that young man sny good in
taking from him what ke held sacred
before? Have you not left him moral
ly weakened? From sneering at
religion it is but step to
sneering at morality, and then
but one step more to vic
ious and profiigate career. How are
you going to stop this tendency
When you have stripped him Of for
mer restraints, do you leave him any
thing in their stead, except indeed q
sense of honor, self-respect and self.in.
terest?-worthy motives. no doubt,
I but all too feeble to withstand the
fearful temptations that assail him
Is the chance of his resistance as good
as it was before? Watch him as ht
: goes along that street at midnight
: He passes by the places OF evil resort
of drinking and gambling those oper
I mouths of hell; he hears the sound o
music and dancing, and for the hrs
: time pauses to listen. How long will
it be before he will venture ing
Z With such dangers in his path, it y
4 a grave responsibility to loosen tn
restraints which hold such a youni
u man to virtue. Thesegibes and sneer
y which you utter so lightly, may hay
a sad echo in a lost character and
!. wretched life. Many a young maj
Z has been thus tainted until he ha
y pushed eff from the shore, under tn
- idea of gaining his liberty and ven
I tured into the rapids. only TO be car
y ried down the stream, and lett wrecl
y in the whirlpool below!